Study of An Iris

On a recent trip to Denver, I spent three days painting purple irises from their garden. This is the fourth study I did of a single Iris, in a glass of water. The glass was sitting on the ground and I painted this looking down at it under the shade of some trees, which created this dappled shadow. Studying the form of the iris revealed its beautiful triangular forms; the open three petals form a flat triangular plate with a triangular pyramid of closed petals sitting on top. I always look carefully at the geometric structure of a flower before drawing or painting it, which helps immensely with understanding how to draw it. The petals of a flower are never randomly arranged, they always follow a mathematical form - usually in threes or fives.

Size: 9"x12"

2025-06-K